Process of refining lead and lead alloys.



L. B. WE MPLE. PROCESS OF REPINING LEAD AND LEAD ALLOYS. APPLICATION PI LED JAN 9, 1911.

1,006,323. I Patented 001.17, 1911.

LC) In 2 41 2 ii a M qg LL! 6: D [L 2 inventor: L...E.Wamp1s 'ATTYS BY C S. T OFFI E.

--'-B e'it' ki1own that I; Willem, a, citizenof the"United 'stafies fof'Ameriea,

- residing itthe 'cityiof seLouis-efie sew inga-lieed and Leed-Alloys, of-wh'ieh the folreferencebeingfhafd toithe emompanying 10. drawing, for'mi ng it" therembvsil of frs' enievantimonibi' tin fifo'm entiiiioiiial lead asieli'tinl'onial-le'ad; *Thepresence mt arsenic 3'0. indeed, Eendgpattieulitrly entimonial' lez'td, is

.= extremely 'deti iinental to the fidelity. of the leadi fo'rvei ions dises, 'jantlinterferesf with t- -tir hicliitlie-feiltimonia lead'fin'the vpro ss of smelting ei diefiiiingis fin'eilly produce and is sometimes" found as an impurity ;i ri"- soft- '1eed',':but not in so" large e percentage as in present in some degree, and while its'jsepalration from antim'oni'al lead hasheretofb're of any in b 'inging'the lead, or, ead. alloy, contammg impurities, or foreign elements, such as those ereinbefo 'e mentioned, while in a m tx s o v i actionpot-eontams a molten alkaline bath, 1' My process consists, enemllys e king,

onjsi. 1431x115; zlsccrsseinu, 155mm or emu-HALF TO notrimn'mn v t pomgmqlorsw. Louis, missotim eoogronemxonp,-.

E'npA LoYs.

eaglee em rgen. Patented Oet. 175191 1., in iieat'idn meii fa uzyZe, i311. :Sei'ialNo.-601,51 .1. v

.2 j N V r'ii'olten state, intimate 'contaolttv ith he hYdfOXld'Of anf alkali, such as hyd oxidjof' sodinm, orhyd j'oxid of potassium, whereby the foreign elements are attackedl-"hyi'seid hydroxid while the metallic lead itself -is'- praetieally='unattaeked, and therefore remains in the metallicstate, the co'ntaminating 'metal'smndergohi Qa chemich-heh'ehge vyhieh I regard asoxi ation or at'leest par 'tlal oxidation, combining with of becoming bottom ofthe'reac'tion potfand containing a trap. 6. The-pipe 5 leadsto a pointfabove a receiving -pot"7*mount'ed' in the iug iae'e C and into which the pui ifieclxleadlis disehar'gecl after 'ithas been treeted'foi the. pni'pose offliefining it 'by the removsil of the contaminat 'g' elements originally -present' [8' designaltes-a perforatepanorhasin 'lo fcalted' abot e 'the r'eac'tin pot 4 im'd into' Whidh" the molten lead falls as it, 'islljldis o'hergd' from the melting pet I through tlifldischai'ge pipe 2 and from \tfhichfthe molten lezidin its impure state tles ends -inl finely divided streams or drops into the' reaction potxl.

"In"e'm"ying,oi1t'my process in the use of the apparatus I have shown, the lead or lead' alloy 'to .be'tregted is melted iii the melting j'p'ot" and is v discharged theref rom I in a; molten eondi'tion through the discheitge pipe2so tht it falls onto the basin 8 f r m which in Streams or ('l rops nto'lthe reaction pot,'-t.s*pz "evious ly StatBdJ- TH TQ- for insteneefleither of sodium hydroxidor potassium hydroxid. and it is by the mingling of the lead with the alkaline substance in thei eaction pot that the purification of '65 ,held' mechanically by the hydrox i'di v in the p1pe-5 and through =binewith the become freedifrom the lead orlead alloys which settle in the reaction .potin;

tion' droxid, commonly known as caustic sodah receivingypot oys being 1 as the metal the, lead is acquit-edit As the separation oi the lead fromits impurities takes place" in the reactionpot, the lead by reason of'its greater specific gravity as compared with thealkahne bath; substance descends-te the bottom of the reaction gradually from said pot through the 'trap 6 7 y causing t-hemolten'lead,

or lead -a as provided for .m ln'y'apparatus to fallin finely divided conditioninto the alkaline bath in the reaction po't, provision is made for thecontaminating metals. acted 'upon'hlmost instantly by .the alka ne bath in more efiectually caus ng such metals to lcom-. alkaline bath substanceand a pracs separa-v of theforeign elementstherefrom. preferto use in my process,

may pure condition following the;

a is y- It will-be-readily appreciated that inasmuch much higher specific gravity than the" 'caustioned serves to retain by of t e caustic soda that is presentwith-the tic soda, it quickly' -settles to the bottom after it has descended into'the alkalinebatlr of: caustic soda and is discharged from the reaction pot through the trap 6 and the'pipe 5 'to the receiving pot 7. The trap' j'ustmenmetal at the bottom of the reaction pot, but it Wlll be apparent that some of the caustic pot. To

its molten condition,

hydrous sodium hydrogen sulfate, or what 4 5 .is commonly commercially termed 'niter-cake,

a moisture that ments from lead or lea After evaporating moisture from the niter cake, I force'pieces of it to the bottom of the receiving pot combines with the alkaline substance, in the instance of the use of caustic soda forming. which rises to the surface of' themetal and is readily skimmed ofi'.. -The: is formed by' the reaction} sodium sulfate,

under the conditions stated is converted by the-heat of the molten metal into 'yaporand this vapor by agitating the metalcau'ses the caustic soda and, nitercake to be brought into;

carrying out my process depends' upon the depth.' of the alkaline bath required forthe proper separation of the contaminating ele percentage of. contaminating elements pres ent in the lead or alloy. By

pot and instances to-retain therein. In

saidpot, with the result of.

treated by the process, is 10f.

far the greater part.

j nitrate o'f otassium, or While I ave described as, an essential ele'-' and it quickly melts and (1 alloys, and upon the of ihenk iilebah shan pl'eni shed from time to time.

te'm'plates the removal of arsenic from lead timony' or tin, which it is desirable in "many tion, the process includes as an essential step the retardation of.-the=action of the hy- =droxidiof an. alkalio'n. the contaminating elements present in: the 1e'ad, or lead alloy, by .theuse of a reducing' agent, which com- -b1nes more or less with the hydroxid; As

powder, By the use ozt-such retarding agent,

1' provideforthe removal from the product,

arseni'c' only, "from lead antimony alloys,- lead-tinwalloys; or leadtin; antimony alloys without removing the antimony or tin in the alloy, I prefer to use-iron scale as the retarding. agent, preferably twenty (20; -parts ofironscale into one hundred '(100 ftion pot. p,

There are certainimpurities" that are acted .;upon mbreslbwly than; other impurities in carrying out'my process of refining lead or lead alloys, audit istherefore highly desirable to' intensify-the action of the refining ties.- Of these impurities, I would; mention facilitate and hasten: the removal. of these metals from lead orlead'alloys, I with therefin agent a suitable agent that will intensify the action on these metals. This intensifying a cut may be, for example, sulfur,'nitrateo sodium; peroxid of sodium, chlorate of sodium.

.ment used asia refining agent in myprocess ,unjderstoodthat there maybe used with said .iiydroxidn-any other: substance it may-be 1n,-makmg reference, inl this descriptionarid in the claims to.- the' hydroxid of an alkali,

substance fromwhich Lm y analkali.

Iclaim; I 1.' The process continued use the-,vi-ntjijes, t erein become :exhfausted,*being convcrthd into compounds with. the foreign substances removed from the lead or alloy, and, there.- L'

, .My pro'cess, aghast-indicated, further conthis connecparts or hydroxid f -an-alkali in the 'reacagent to accelerate its action on such impuri- Igin'clude any equivalent-for'such hydr'oxidf such' hydroxid" e derived, as for instance, a an :oxid" of i 11 d lea d alloys without the removal of an, v

.such.: redu c ing agent I zWOllld mention iron ,scale. or iron filings, z1nc' du'st,- or aluminum particularly antimony, bismuth and tin; To I I ,thefhydxbxidof an alkali,'-I desire it to be un d desi li bleto use in carrying out the process; L'further wish :it understood that o'frefining lead onlead al flyyconslsting in bringing the lead or lead .into intimate contact the ihydroxid of analkali, then withdrawing such lead or lead aim in a molten state from said vessel-,an'd -fi,na l separating from the lead or lead allpy t e alkali hydroxid carried therewith from .said vesselby the introduction .of a

= neutralizing agent.- f i 2'. The process of refininglead alloy, consisting: in causing intimate contact between the lead alloy in a molten state and a refinin agent, ,and retarding the action of the agm "agent. toprovide for the retention in the ead alloy of acertain element present thaein.

3. The process of refining lead alloy, consisting in causing intimate contact. between 15 the'lead alloy an a molten state and a refining agenty'andretarding-the action, of the reimingagent bythe introduction of a reducing agent; thereby providing for the retention of a certain element in the lead alloy.

20' 4. .The process of refining lead alloy containing antimony and tin and other elements,

agent with the refining agent to retard the 25 action of the refining agent, whereby the antimony and tin'are caused to be retained in the alloy. a r

5. The process of refining lead alloy, consisting in causing intimate contact between the lead alloy, in a molten state, and the hydroxid of an alkali, refining agent, and retarding the action of a the refining agent to provide for the retention by the lead alloy present therein.

i LELAND E. WEMPLE. In the presenceof- H. G. 000K,

E. B. LINN.

or its equivalent, as a 1 of a certain element 5 

